Nintendo: The Year of Luigi Will Continue Into 2014

Not so fast Nintendo fans, the Year of Luigi may soon become the Years of Luigi. This according to Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, who revealed that the festivities will continue into 2014.

Earlier this year, Nintendo labeled 2013 as the “Year of Luigi,” putting the focus squarely on the oftentimes-overlooked Mario brother. That spotlight included three retail releases, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, and the New Super Luigi U DLC; a special Luigi-branded Wii remote; and various other Luigi festivities.

In fact, the Year of Luigi has become something of an in-joke in the gaming community, prompting extensive examinations into the character’s history. But really it was just a confluence of game releases that brought on the clever moniker.

And yet, the Year of Luigi will apparently not come to a close when the clock strikes midnight this December. As Fils-Aime explains, “There are some Year of Luigi activities that will continue into 2014–including some of the special products that we’ve launched (the Luigi remote and the Mario and Luigi 3DS XL)–so there will be some Luigi products to carry the Luigi banner into the next calendar year.”

So, while the cavalcade of Luigi-focused releases is done (for now), there are a few Luigi products still in Nintendo’s pipeline. Similarly, those Luigi products, like the Wii remote, will still be found on store shelves well into 2014…while supplies last, of course.

Looking back, the Year of Luigi was a surprisingly fruitful one for Nintendo. The release of Luigi’s Mansion in March helped set the tone, and well-reviewed games like A Link Between Worlds and Super Mario 3D World helped carry the torch well into December. With that in mind, we don’t blame Nintendo for wanting to keep the Year of Luigi going; it’s certainly been a step up from years past.

How have you celebrated the Year of Luigi? If the festivities will bleed into 2014, how would you like to see Nintendo continue to support the character?